A sudden practice injury to Dallas' newly solidified RB2 creates immediate backfield chaos, forcing recent waiver claim Emari Demercado into a vital role against the Giants.
The Dallas Cowboys spent all summer sorting out their crowded running back room.
Two days before Week 1 ... they suddenly have another problem to solve.
Malik Davis was carted off the practice field Friday, according to Clarence Hill, creating a potentially significant concern before Dallas opens its season against the New York Giants.
The nature and severity of Davis' injury are not yet known, but the timing certainly isn't ideal.
Davis entered Friday as Dallas' No. 2 running back behind Javonte Williams after beating out Jaydon Blue and the rest of the competition during training camp.
"I think this is more a testament to a guy like Malik Davis that has just, time in and time out, come back and proven his worth," Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after final cuts.
Schottenheimer went even further.
"The guy went from being on the street, not getting really hardly any looks, even workouts, and he's back in Oxnard, and now he's solidified himself as a very, very valuable member of our football team," he said.
Dallas' decision at running back was clear: Davis stayed, and Blue didn't.
The Cowboys waived Blue, their fifth-round pick in 2025, and Phil Mafah during final cuts. Blue cleared waivers and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad, while Dallas brought Israel Abanikanda back on its own practice squad.
Then came Demercado.
Dallas claimed the former TCU standout off waivers, giving offensive coordinator Klayton Adams another familiar face from his time in Arizona.
At the time, it looked like a depth move. Now, Demercado could suddenly have a role to play.
The 27-year-old spent three seasons with the Cardinals, rushing 126 times for 819 yards and three touchdowns. That's 6.5 yards per carry across a limited sample, and he also added 50 catches for 324 yards and another touchdown.
Adams knows exactly what he's getting.
The Cowboys offensive coordinator served as Arizona's offensive line coach during Demercado's first two NFL seasons, when the undrafted running back averaged 4.9 yards per carry as a rookie before jumping to 9.3 in 2024.
Dallas didn't know Davis would be carted off the practice field when it claimed Demercado, and being carted off doesn't yet tell us how serious the injury is. Until the Cowboys provide more information, anything beyond that would be speculation.
But Dallas made its choices at running back less than two weeks ago.
Davis won the No. 2 job. Blue ended up in Philadelphia. Demercado arrived as another experienced option behind Williams.
Now the season opener is two days away ... and one of those decisions suddenly looks a whole lot bigger.
That insurance policy?
Dallas might already need it.
